Arts, Briefly

Compiled by Lawrence Van Gelder

Published: August 9, 2006

'Idol' Dreamers Play the Rose Bowl

''American Idol'' worship sent thousands of hopefuls streaming before dawn yesterday to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., right, for the start of auditions for the next season of the immensely popular show on Fox. Roads leading to the stadium were clogged, as singers dreaming of becoming the next Taylor Hicks or Carrie Underwood hurried to meet the announced 6 a.m. deadline to line up. Some huddled under blankets; others, wearing headphones, silently mouthed lyrics; still others checked their makeup, The Associated Press reported. When the next season begins in January, a new songwriting contest will give professionals and amateurs a chance to compose for the finalists. Other auditions are scheduled for Monday at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., and the Alamodome in San Antonio; Aug. 21 at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Ala.; Sept. 3 at the FedExForum in Memphis; Sept. 8 in the Target Center in Minneapolis; and Sept. 19 at Key Arena in Seattle.

Wepner and Stallone End Their Fight

Chuck Wepner, below, and Sylvester Stallone, bottom, have finished slugging it out. Mr. Wepner, 67, known as the Bayonne Bleeder at the brief zenith of his pugilistic career (31 wins, 14 losses, 2 draws), has settled his 2003 federal lawsuit against Mr. Stallone, 60, whose more lucrative boxing career brought him fame as the star of the ''Rocky'' movie series. Mr. Wepner maintained in his lawsuit that although he was the inspiration for the character of Rocky Balboa, the down-and-out Philadelphia pug who wins his long-shot crack at the championship, Mr. Stallone never made good on promises that he would receive payment, The Associated Press reported. Last week lawyers for Mr. Stallone and Mr. Wepner, who floored Muhammad Ali before losing a 1975 title bout, filed notice in District Court in Newark that they had settled for an undisclosed sum. ''Rocky Balboa,'' the sixth of the boxing films starring Mr. Stallone, will be released on Dec. 22.